A Geophysical Survey of Plymouth Sound for the Last Resting Place of the Honourable East India Company ship Dutton lost 26th January 1796

Certain elements of marine archaeology have until very recently been a very difficult pursuit, and that’s not to say that it is a particularly effortless one now. But, with the advent of technologies and techniques crossing over from military and commercial endeavours, the location of wrecks and their study has been made more readily available. Sonar and non-sonar geophysical survey methodologies are now providing archaeologists with the ability to study once inaccessible wrecks, artefacts and cultures with non-invasive, non-destructive high resolution technology. Plymouth Sound has been the home to wrecked shipping, whether merchant or naval for at least the last 700 years. The entire number of ships lost in this one area can only be guessed at, and therefore provides a rich hunting ground for the professional and amateur alike. Many of the ships lost in the Sound are well known to archaeologists and provide a great source of information. One ship that was lost to the weather in Plymouth Sound is the East Indiaman Dutton wrecked in 1796. Much is known of the wrecking and subsequent salvage, but actual evidence of the wreck site has never been proved. This study aimed to use a number of geophysical survey techniques to provide archaeologists with potential sites worthy of investigation to allow the Dutton to be finally placed. The survey allowed the use of a multibeam echo Sounder, cesium magnetometer and sub-bottom profiler to attempt to allocate such sites. Although it was not possible to state that the remains of the Dutton have been located, the study has, at the least been able to bring certain elements of her history that have been held separately together. The geophysical survey did not go without its problems, indeed certain issues proved impossible to overcome. The benefit of this survey can be seen in its attempt to further inform other studies.Faculty of Science & Technolog